The Effects of Local Government Consolidation on Turnout: Evidence from a Quasi‐Experiment in Switzerland

In the last decades, municipal mergers have been one major element of local government reforms in Switzerland and beyond. In this article, we describe and analyze the political effects of this development. We use a quasi‐experimental setting to test the impact of municipal mergers on electoral participation. We find that in merged municipalities, the decrease in turnout is significantly stronger than in non‐merged municipalities. Further, the effect is more pronounced in relatively small localities. There is a temporal dimension to this effect—that is, turnout drops mainly in the first election after the first merger, but not so much after the second or third merger. Hence, the study provides a skeptical yet differentiated perspective on the democratic consequences of municipal mergers and points to further research avenues to develop a more comprehensive understanding of local government consolidation.     

Framing Exclusion in the Public Sphere: Far-Right Mobilisation and the Debate on Charlie Hebdo in Italy

While the January 2015 Paris terrorist attacks presented a crucial opportunity for far-right mobilisation, the focus on liberal democratic values and Charlie Hebdo’s non-conformist progressive profile presented challenges for right-wing discourse. Taking Italy as a paradigmatic case of public controversies on cultural and religious affairs, this article examines the opportunities and constraints generated by multicultural crises for far-right framing choices. A qualitative frame analysis analyses the discourse of three types of far-right actors. While the populist radical right, extreme right, and ultra-religious right groups disagree on crucial criteria for outgroup exclusion, they collectively employed the Charlie Hebdo controversy to redefine their exclusionary discourse on liberal grounds with the goal of gaining legitimacy in the mainstream public sphere.     

A Youth Counter-Narrative on Trafficking and Smuggling from Africa to Europe

This article features the personal experiences of a young African woman victim of trafficking and smuggling from Nigeria to Italy. The aim of the article is to provide a counter-narrative on the phenomenon of human trafficking, by engaging with the youth’s lived experiences. The story forms part of a wider database of youth counter-narratives, gathered by the authors in different parts of the world (Italy, South Africa, and Ethiopia). The narrative will be discussed on the basis of four identified elements, and the reflection addresses them within the wider context of trafficking, smuggling, and human migration. The conclusion drawn is that the language of youth counter-narratives can represent a useful tool to address the complexity of social issues, in particular when they refer to lived experiences of youngsters who have been subjected to different forms of oppression and violence. It also represents a sort of liberation from cultural homogenisation, forcing the readers to engage with a “new humanism.”     

The Impact of Child‐Parent Psychotherapy on Child Dependency Court Outcomes

Although parental compliance with court orders in child welfare cases is key to achieving physical parent‐child reunification and successful case closure, little research has examined how parent‐child relationship‐focused rehabilitative services uniquely influence case outcomes. This project fills this gap by investigating links between court ordering of and parental participation in Child‐Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) with court outcomes. Data were obtained from court records of 448 court‐involved parents. Hierarchical regressions revealed that greater participation in CPP led to reunification and successful case closure but not faster case closure. Courtroom professionals should consider parent‐child relationship‐based therapies as tools for achieving child welfare goals.     

Two sides of the same coin: can campaigns generate support for both human rights and retributive violence?

ABSTRACT

Do framing strategies that are effective at encouraging pro-social behavior, such as participation in human rights campaigns, also mobilize support for violence within the same subjects? We use an experimental research design to examine individuals’ reactions to personal, humanizing narratives about past victimization. Participants are randomly assigned to one of eight treatment groups, which variously highlighted the humanity of the subject, the intensity of the past violence, and/or an evocative photograph of the subject that underscores her loss and vulnerability. We expect narratives that emphasize the subject’s humanity will encourage the audience to see the subject as innocent and as a victim, but also to feel angry about her experience. As a result, individuals will be more likely to defend the subject’s human rights, and to condone her use of retributive violence. We find that humanizing narratives lead respondents to simultaneously support a human rights appeal on the subject’s behalf and her use of retributive violence. Perceiving the subject in the narrative as innocent or as a victim mediates these effects, but anger often does not.     

表演者精神权利结构与本质探析

理论界及司法界有关表演者精神权利的问题争论较大,归根结蒂是有关表演者精神权利的结构与本质的争论,目前相关研究较少.本文着重论述了表演者精神权利的结构与本质,在有关精神权利的结构部分,论述了表演者精神权利的主体、客体和内容;在本质部分,对表演者精神权利与作者精神权利进行了比较研究,论述了两者的本质区别,突显了表演者精神权利的纯粹的人身权属性.最后还以表演者精神权利结构和本质为视角阐述了其法律特征.     

"无讼"法律文化与中国公众的法律认同

"无讼"作为中国传统法律文化的重要价值取向,对当代中国公众的法律认同,产生了许多方面的消极影响,从而导致公众的狭隘工具性法律认同、单一性法律认同和对法律的不认同.但同时,"无讼"法律文化对当代中国公众的法律认同,也有许多方面的积极影响和有益的启示.它对社会安定与秩序的追求,是人们产生法律认同的基本前提.我们可以批判地借鉴它对传统道德、民间习惯等社会调节手段的运用,从而建立法律的内在权威,促进公众的自觉认同;它所推行的多规则统治模式,有利于我们避免"法律万能主义"的非理性认同,建立对法律的理性认同.我们在法治化进程中,要坚持"权利本位"的宗旨,提供良好法律产品;执政党和政府要厉行法治,做法律认同的典范;进一步促进国家法律对民间规则、习俗的认可、接纳力度,使法律成为公众内心习惯的一部分,增强法律的亲和力.     

民事诉讼受理制度改造的理性视角

民事诉讼受理是纠纷进入司法程序的初始必经阶段,对于当事人诉讼权利保障意义重大.随着经济体制改革的深化和经济的快速发展,许多深层次的矛盾不断出现,民众的诉求越来越多,而我国的法律体系和社会保障机制还不够完善,人民法院作为解决矛盾纠纷的专门机构,应当担负起为构建和谐社会提供有力司法保障的历史任务,最大程度地吸纳化解矛盾纠纷.然而,现行民事诉讼受理制度所规定的起诉条件,既包括实体内容又包括程序要求,确定性有余而灵活性、包容性不足,虽然能够一定程度地起到过滤纠纷,节约司法资源的作用,但其对于新型权利诉求进入诉讼渠道的阻隔作用日益显现,甚至为个别地方限制当事人正当诉权的行使提供了借口.在改造方案的设计方面,应当理性审视现有司法资源和司法环境,更宜采渐进式而非跃进式的方案,避免由于准备不足而导致司法不堪重负,制约正常功能的发挥.     

刑事被害人获得社会援助权之论纲

刑事被害人的获得社会援助权是指被害人在遭受犯罪侵害后能够得到有关社会组织或成员的支援和帮助的一种法律权利.它是社会人道主义的法律化和制度化的表现,也是减轻被害人所受犯罪损害的现实需要.被害人获得社会援助权已纳入国际刑事人权保障的范畴,发达国家和地区较早地建立了完善的社会援助体系,为被害人实际享有获得社会援助权提供了现实保障.我国目前尚未从法律上确立刑事被害人的获得社会援助权,也缺乏援助被害人的社会工作体系,只是部分被害人获得了某些"边缘性的援助"或者司法经济救助.因此,立法上明确被害人的获得社会援助权,规范社会援助被害人的方式和内容,是被害人获得有效社会援助的制度保障.     

我国劳动争议处理制度程序层面之分析

我国目前的劳动争议处理制度无论在现行相关的法律法规赋予权利义务方面,还是权利缺失时权利救济的程序保障方面,都存在不完善之处。应尽快确立劳动争议仲裁制度公平、公正及经济性价值取向;同时,应由当事人自由选择仲裁及诉讼程序,完善我国劳动争议处理制度。